In the sit up, the spine flexes forwards, and we are told that this is not bio-mechanicly relevent to sprinting. (In sprinting - the spine moves away from high levels of lordosis, back to lower levels of lordosis, when rear foot comes of the ground - but never goes in to the amount of flexion seen in sit ups, chinnies, crunches etc…)
So I am very curious, as to whether or not to include the bio-mechanicly ‘irrelevent’ exercises.
There’s just one problem and stumbling block to making a choice.
Florence Griffifth Joyner, did about 3000 sit ups at night, every night.
Alan Wells, did about 6 sets of 100 reps of ‘chinnies’.
Marion Jones regularly did 1000 sit ups / crunches every day.
Her former husband, Tim Montgommery, started doing the same.
Linford Christie often finished his Gym sessions with high numbers of crunches and partial sit ups.
As did Shawn Crawford…
Carl Lewis was no gym rat, but even he made sure to include the typical 4 x 30 reps or so, of medicine ball sit ups, with his team mates…
And so… If these sit ups, crunches, chinnies etc, that hunch the spine,… are so ‘irrelevent’, then why have so many of the best sprinters included them?
Was it because they were slightly ‘un-educated’ about those exercises, compared to some of todays peeps?
Or is it because some of todays peeps, have missed the boat on those exercises?
Some peeps can-not produce high numbers in those exercises (not thru lack of ab strength) but psoas majors tightening on the spine and becoming painfull. We’ve been told time and again to not tighten the psoas, and it moves in to other issues.
But are all the fancy alternative abdominal exercises any better? E;g squat thrusts, push ups, front bridge planks, superman push ups, pistol squats, turkish get-ups, swiss-ball, and on and on.
Further-more, Charles Poliquin suggests that for advanced - well co-ordinated athletes, they will reach a plateu (spelling?) in abdominal strength after just 8 weeks. And stay at that level for the rest of their career. That is unless, they include heavier execises, such as squat or deadlift. He sais squats and/or deads are the only way to have further abdominal improovement.
I don’t worship everything he sais, but what he sais here, makes sense to me, based on my own experiences.
Quite often, when beginning a new abdominal exercise (could be any ol crappy exercise), I notice awesome blood pump, lactic acid build-up, tension, (and ‘taughtness’ for hours following the exercise.)
So I think, hmm, what a great exercize. But the next time I do it, there is no where near the same taughtness or fullness. This is because the body learms to recruit LESS fibers to get the same job done. A phenomenam that is the bane for spriners, who are constantly trying to improove power expression in sports.
So what can anybody tell me about these high rep ‘classic’ ab exercises that hunch the spine forwards? Are they worth doing? Ofcourse I have tried them before many times, but never really tried to do high numbers in them, because they gave me a little psoas pain, and I questioned the merit of even bothering with them. (I can easily sort out any potential psoas pain, by modifying an exercise - no worries.)
I’d like to know of peoples experiance with these exercises, in terms of high numbers. Is it worth it? Did it help you to improove your speed? Thoughts?